A young boy was allowed to spend the summer with his grandparents, who lived on a farm. One day the grandfather made the young lad a slingshot and told him all the safety rules that went with such an object. “Don’t shoot at any person! Don’t shoot at any of the farm creatures! Don’t shoot at anything that is valuable to Granny and Grandpa.” The little fellow grew quite proficient with the slingshot, and often he shot at hickory nuts, small rocks and almost anything he chose to hit.
One day, as he strolled down a lane toward the stock watering pond, he spied a big beautiful goose, which just seemed to glide over the water of the pond. This was Granny’s favorite critter because it often followed her around like a puppy. Granny often talked to the goose, and she frequently gave it bits of food from the dinner table. Forgetting all the instructions and warnings he had received, the boy selected a nice round rock, placed it in the slingshot, and taking careful aim, he killed Granny’s goose with one shot. Horrified, he quickly dragged it out of the water, found a secluded place in the edge of the woods and proceeded to dig a hole and bury the goose. Little did he know it, but his sister had witnessed the whole thing. She told him that she knew his secret.
After supper, Granny asked the sister to help with the dishes. “Granny,” the sister said, “Johnny would love to help do the dishes, wouldn’t you, Johnny?” Immediately Johnny pitched in and finished the dishes quickly. Granny then asked sister to help sweep the kitchen floor, but again, she stated that Johnny would really enjoy sweeping the floor. Johnny immediately grabbed the broom and made short work of the chore. Day by day, such encouragements found Johnny doing things that he’d never done before. Finally, it got the better of him, and he went to Granny, with tears in his eyes, and confessed to killing the goose. “Can you forgive me?” he asked. “Of course, I’ll forgive you, Johnny! Granny has known about this all along! I was standing by the window when you shot the goose! I saw you dig the hole and bury it. I’m so glad you are good enough to confess the wrong!”
How many of us have shot Granny’s goose? When you failed to assemble with the saints, did you not know that God was watching from on high? When you spoke words that should never cross a Christian’s lips, did you not know that God was ‘standing at the window of Heaven, watching’? In a time of crisis, when you should have entreated the Most High God in prayer, did you not understand that God observed you cursing the day He had sent, and mourning the ‘luck’ you had brought upon yourself? When your angry and bitter words cut a loved one to the bone, and you forgot God’s words to be kind to one another, did you also forget that God notes the fall of a sparrow, and that He surely watches over you? Did you shoot Granny’s goose instead?
When you had the opportunity to do good to someone less fortunate than yourself, did you shoot Granny’s goose, while you argued with yourself that you cannot help everyone, and surely there are others who have more responsibility than you? Did you take another shot when you could have defended the truth in a crowd, but you didn’t? While everyone else is naysaying and criticizing the efforts of those who do good, did you cower and refuse to get involved, when you might have helped to set the record straight? You see, it’s so easy to shoot Granny’s goose!
“The eyes of the Lord are in every place, beholding the evil and the good” (Proverbs 15:3). “As we have therefore opportunity, let us do good unto all men, especially unto them who are of the household of faith” (Galatians 6:10). Let us be very careful to not shoot Granny’s goose!
